McCain and Obama: Where they stand on the issues. Almost entirely fair, and I’m definately unbalanced….
Hi Everyone,
Instead of just attacking [well, I wasn’t really attacking before, I was giving information in my own special way], I decided to list the major issues facing us, give the position of both candidates, and a few quotes and facts. You may be surprised at some of my findings. I’ve often said Senator McCain is too moderate for me! Of course, there are bits of snarky humor—just bits.
I pray both sides will read this blog, so they know where their candidate stands, and can compare their candidate with the opposing candidate.
[Information mostly obtained by SenateMatch. They’ve compiled their rating by following the votes of the senators, and from answers during debates, etc. Scale: Strongly Favors, Favors, Neutral, Opposes, Strongly Opposes]
Smiles,
Kelly
Mr. McCain’s Positions: [All quotes are Mr. McCain’s unless otherwise stated.]
PRINCIPLES
America is an idea and a cause worth fighting for -
“I fell in love with my country when I was a prisoner in someone else’s. I loved it not just for the many comforts of life here; I loved it for its decency, for its faith in the wisdom, justice and goodness of its people. I loved it because it was not just a place, but an idea, a cause worth fighting for. I was never the same again. I wasn’t my own man anymore, I was my country’s.”
I’m running for president because my country saved me -
“I’m not running for president because I think I’m blessed with such personal greatness that history has anointed me to save our country in its hour of need. My country saved me. My country saved me, and I cannot forget it. And I will fight for her for as long as I draw breath, so help me God.”
My most basic conservative principle: liberty comes from God -
“I am proud to be a conservative, and I make that claim because I share with you that most basic of conservative principles: that liberty is a right conferred by our Creator, not by governments, and that the proper object of justice and the rule of law in our country is not to aggregate power to the state but to protect the liberty and property of its citizens. And like you, I understand, as Edmund Burke observed, that “whenever a separation is made between liberty and justice, neither… is safe.”
ABORTION– Opposes
Rated 0% by NARAL, indicating a pro-life voting record.
Rated 75% by the NRLC, indicating a mixed record on abortion.
Voted YES on SB 230 - Banning partial birth abortions
Definition: ‘Partial-Birth Abortion’ refers to a late-term abortion method which induces a breech delivery, then collapsing the fetal skull before completing delivery. [Sounds like “death-by-blunt-force-trauma-to-the-head” to me.] This procedure is banned in 24 states.
Voted YES on prohibiting transporting minors across state lines for abortion.
Voted YES on notifying parents of minors who get out-of-state abortions.
Does not support Roe v. Wade, but would keep incest & rape exceptions.
“I am pro-life and an advocate for the Rights of Man everywhere in the world, because to be denied liberty is an offense to nature and nature’s Creator. I will never waver in that conviction. Our liberty will not be seized in a political revolution or by a totalitarian government. But, rather, as Burke warned, it can be “nibbled away, for expedience, and by parts.” I am alert to that risk and will defend against it, and I will be encouraged in that defense by my fellow conservatives.” (Source: Speeches to 2008 Conservative Political Action Conference Feb 7, 2008)
[AFFIRMATIVE ACTION] - Neutral
Rated 7% by the NAACP, indicating an anti-affirmative-action stance.
Voted YES on banning affirmative action hiring with federal funds.
Voted YES on keeping special funding for minority & women-owned business.
Affirmative action OK for specific programs, but no quotas
BUDGET and ECONOMY
Voted YES on capping foreign aid.
Voted YES on $17.9 billion to the International Monetary Fund. (IMF)
Has Extensive Knowledge of the Economy -
“I’m very well versed in economics. I was there at the Reagan Revolution. I was there just after we enacted the first tax cuts and the restraints on spending. I was chairman of the Commerce Committee in the Senate, which addresses virtually every major economic issue that affects the US. That’s why I have a strong team around me that respect my views and my vision. And that’s why The Wall Street Journal, in a survey of economists recently, that the majority of economists thought that I could handle the nation’s economy best [best of the republicans running at the time] . And I have been a consistent fighter to restrain spending and to cut taxes. I would match my credentials, my experience, and my knowledge of economic issues against anybody who’s running.” (Source: 2008 GOP debate in Boca Raton Florida Jan 24, 2008)
Q: What’s the fastest solution to bail people out of economic ruin?
A: “We obviously have to stop this spending spree that’s going on in Washington. [I agree.] Do you know that we’ve laid a $10 trillion debt on young Americans, $500 billion of it we owe to China? [Yikes!] We’ve got to have a package of reforms and it has got to lead to reform prosperity and peace in the world. [What kind of package, exactly?] And I think that this problem has become so severe, that we’re going to have to do something about home values.” [What, exactly?]
Q: What’s your plan to save people from financial ruin?
A: “Energy independence. [So, you DO have a plan. Cool.] We’ve got to stop sending $700 billion a year to countries that don’t like us. [Amen!] We have to keep Americans’ taxes low. All Americans’ taxes low. [How, exactly?]
Q: Which parts of the $700B bailout will help people?
A: “This rescue package means we will stabilize markets, we will shore up these institutions. [How exactly?] But it’s not enough. That’s why we’re going to have to go out into the housing market and buy up these bad loans and we’re going to have to stabilize home values, and that way, Americans can realize the American dream and stay in their home. [So you DO have a plan. Cool.] (Source: 2008 second presidential debate against Barack Obama Oct 7, 2008)
[The nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget has found that both Obama and McCain are proposing combinations of tax and spending policies that would increase the federal deficit. It found that in 2013, Obama’s proposals would produce a net deficit increase of 286 billion dollars, while McCain’s major policies would produce a net deficit increase of 211 billion dollars.] [Wanna save 75 billion dollars? Vote for McCain.]
FOREIGN POLICY
Israel Supports Mr. McCain
Palestine Supports Mr. Obama, Hamas Supports Mr. Obama, Al Quida Supports Mr. Obama
A Nuclear Iran is an existential threat to Israel -
Q: How big a threat is Iran to the US?
A: “If Iran acquires nuclear weapons, it is an existential threat to the State of Israel and to other countries in the region. We cannot have a second Holocaust. Let’s just make that very clear. I have proposed a League of Democracies, a group of countries that share common interests, common values, common ideals, they also control a lot of the world’s economic power. We could impose significant meaningful, painful sanctions on the Iranians that I think could have a beneficial effect.
The Iranians have a lousy government, so therefore their economy is lousy, even though they have significant oil revenues. So I am convinced that together with the French, with the British, with the Germans and other countries, we can affect Iranian behavior.
But have no doubt, but have no doubt that the Iranians continue on the path to the acquisition of a nuclear weapon as we speak tonight. And it is a threat not only in this region but around the world.” (Source: 2008 first presidential debate, Obama vs. McCain Sep 26, 2008)
Preconditions required for talks with rogue states-
“Sen. Obama said he would sit down with Ahmadinejad, Chavez, and Raul Castro without precondition. Here is Ahmadinejad, who is now talking about the extermination of the State of Israel, and we’re going to sit down, without precondition, to give a propaganda platform, and therefore then giving them more credence in the world arena and therefore saying–because you will sit down across the table from them–that will legitimize their illegal behavior. Throughout history, whether it be Ronald Reagan, who wouldn’t sit down with [the USSR] until Gorbachev was ready with glasnost and perestroika, or whether it be Nixon’s trip to China, which was preceded by Henry Kissinger, many times before he went. I’ll sit down with anybody, but there’s got to be pre-conditions.” (Source: 2008 first presidential debate, Obama vs. McCain Sep 26, 2008)
I’m prepared for the dangerous threats in this world -
“We have dealt a serious blow to al Qaeda in recent years, but they’re not defeated, and they’ll strike us again if they can. Iran remains the chief state sponsor of terrorism, and is on the path to acquiring nuclear weapons. Russia’s leaders, rich with oil wealth and corrupt with power, have rejected democratic ideals and the obligations of a responsible power. They invaded a small, democratic neighbor to gain more control over the world’s oil supply, intimidate other neighbors, and further their ambitions of reassembling the Russian empire. And the brave people of Georgia need our solidarity and our prayers.
As president, I’ll work to establish good relations with Russia so that we need not fear a return of the Cold War. But we can’t turn a blind eye to aggression and international lawlessness that threatens the peace and stability of the world and the security of the American people. We face many dangerous threats in this dangerous world, but I’m not afraid of them. I’m prepared for them.” (Source: Speech at 2008 Republican National Convention Sep 4, 2008)
GAY RIGHTS - Neutral
Rated 33% by the HRC, indicating a mixed record on gay rights.
Voted NO to Federal ban on same-sex marriage. Would leave the issue of gay marriage for the states to decide.
Supports CA Prop. 8: one-man-one-woman marriage
Voted YES on abolishing job discrimination by sexual orientation.
TEACHER-LED PRAYER IN SCHOOLS – Favors
Rated 83% by the Christian Coalition, indicating a pro-family voting record.
YES on requiring schools to allow voluntary prayer.
YES on declaring memorial prayers and religious symbols OK at schools.
Ten Commandments would bring virtue to our schools -
Q: Does posting the Ten Commandments in schools invalidate the religious expression of children who are not in the Judeo-Christian heritage?
A: “We begin our proceedings every day in the US Senate with a prayer. Now, it doesn’t have the beneficial effect that some desire, but it seems to be acceptable for the Senate to do that. Virtues like telling the truth are exemplified in the Ten Commandments. They could be and should be taught in every school in America.”
(Source: GOP Debate in Johnston, Iowa Jan 16, 2000)
Death Penalty - Strongly Favors
Pro-death penalty
For building more prisons
For stiffer prison sentences
YES on rejecting racial statistics in death penalty appeals
YES on limiting death penalty appeals
MANDATORY THREE STRIKES SENTENCING LAWS - Strongly Favors
Strongly Favors means you believe: ‘Three Strikes’ laws put dangerous repeat offenders behind bars, for life. Mandatory sentencing and strict enforcement make sure judges don’t let off criminals too easily.
Rated 29% by CURE, indicating anti-rehabilitation crime votes
YES on mandatory prison terms for crimes involving firearms
YES on more penalties for gun & drug violations
ABSOLUTE RIGHT TO GUN OWNERSHIP - Strongly Favors [My kinda man!]
Prosecute criminals, not citizens for gun ownership
For punishing criminals who abuse 2nd Amendment rights
For banning cheap guns
For requiring safety locks
For gun show checks
For repealing existing gun restrictions
YES on banning lawsuits against gun manufacturers for gun violence
YES on allowing firearms in National Parks
YES on maintaining current law: guns sold without trigger locks
Opposes restrictions on assault weapons and ammunition types
“The right of law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms is a fundamental, individual Constitutional right. We have a responsibility to ensure that criminals who violate the law are prosecuted to the fullest, rather than restricting the rights of law-abiding citizens. Gun control is a proven failure in fighting crime. Law-abiding citizens should not be asked to give up their rights because of criminals–criminals who ignore gun control laws anyway.” (Source: Campaign website, www.johnmccain.com, “Issues” Sep 1, 2007)
MORE FEDERAL FUNDING FOR HEALTH CARE COVERAGE – Opposes
Mr. McCain’s position is to give a $5,000 credit to buy your own policy.
Rated 25% by APHA, indicating an anti-public health voting record
$350 billion for prescriptions for poor seniors
YES on funding GOP version of Medicare prescription drug benefit
YES on increasing Medicaid rebate for producing generics
YES on negotiating bulk purchases for Medicare prescription drug
Matching funds for seniors citizens’ prescription drugs
NO on including prescription drugs under Medicare
Expand health insurance to 11 million uninsured children
Harness market competition for comprehensive reform
Include a health savings account in healthcare reform
Allow paying extra for choice of doctors & care
More tax-deductible health costs
Tax credits for those without employee health insurance
YES on limiting self-employment health deduction
NO on blocking medical savings accounts
1993: “To socialize healthcare would be to ruin it.”
During the fall of 1993, a controversy erupted on Capitol Hill concerning the universal health care plan being advanced by the Clinton Administration under the direction of First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton. McCain was opposed to the Clinton plan, although, in a break with many members of his party, he did believe all Americans should have access to the health care system.
“But the Clinton plan would destroy America’s health care system as it had come to be known—the best in the world. McCain was also worried about the Clinton plan’s distribution of money. All Americans deserve the opportunity to obtain health care coverage of their choice. I hope that we will never see the day in which the government tells us which health care plan we may enroll in or who will provide the care. To socialize our health care system, as the Clinton reform plan would, will be to ruin it.”
PRIVATIZE SOCIAL SECURITY - Strongly Favors
Mr. McCain’s position is to give individuals an OPTION to privately invest some of their Social Security money. If you choose not to, your Social Security will not change. You will decide. You will make your own choice.
Rated 40% by the ARA, indicating a mixed record on senior issues
YES on personal savings accounts
Option to invest 20% of payroll taxes in private accounts
Allow workers to invest privately
Supports work incentives
YES on deducting Social Security payments on income taxes
YES on allowing Roth IRAs for retirees
YES on allowing personal retirement accounts
YES on using the Social Security Surplus to fund tax reductions
Control Medicare Growth: The growth of spending on Medicare threatens our fiscal future. John McCain has proposed comprehensive health care reforms that will reduce the growth in Medicare spending, protect seniors against rising Medicare premium payments, and preserve the advancements in medical science central to providing quality care. (Source: Campaign plan: “Bold Solutions for Economic Prosperity” Feb 3, 2008)
Future retirees cannot get what current ones get -
“I think it’s very important that we reform our entitlement programs. We are not going to be able to provide the same benefit for present-day workers that present-day retirees have today. We’re going to have to sit down across the table, Republican and Democrat, as we did in 1983 between Ronald Reagan and Tip O’Neill.
I know how to do that. I have a clear record of reaching across the aisle, whether it be Joe Lieberman or Russ Feingold or Ted Kennedy or others. That’s my clear record.” (Source: 2008, second presidential debate against Barack Obama Oct 7, 2008)
PARENTS CHOOSE SCHOOLS VIA VOUCHERS – Strongly Favors
Rated 45% by the NEA, indicating a mixed record on public education
Vouchers & charters will improve our school system
Wants more choices and competition in education
Charters, homeschooling, & vouchers are key to success
For $5B program for 3-year test of school vouchers
NO on $5B for grants to local educational agencies
Supports Ed-Flex: more flexibility if more accountable
YES on education savings accounts
NO on funding smaller classes instead of private tutors
NO on funding student testing instead of private tutors
“Education is the civil rights issue of this century. Equal access to public education has been gained. But what is the value of access to a failing school? We need to shake up failed school bureaucracies with competition, empower parents with choice. Let’s remove barriers to qualified instructors, attract and reward good teachers, and help bad teachers find another line of work. When a public school fails to meet its obligations to students, parents deserve a choice in the education of their children, and I intend to give it to them. Some may choose a better public school. Some may choose a private one. Many will choose a charter school. But they will have the choice and their children will have that opportunity. Obama wants our schools to answer to unions and entrenched bureaucrats. I want schools to answer to parents and students. And when I’m president, they will.” (Source: Speech at 2008 Republican National Convention Sep 4, 2008)
REPLACE COAL AND OIL WITH ALTERNATIVES- Favors
Rated 53% by the LCV, indicating a mixed record on environment
Sponsored bill for greenhouse gas tradable allowances
Build 45 new nuclear power plants by 2030
Supports alternative fuels, emission controls
CWA Climate change is real and must be addressed
Supports Clean Air & Water Acts; but not Kyoto
Make EPA into a Cabinet department
NO on reducing funds for road-building in National Forests
YES on defunding renewable and solar energy
YES on targeting 100,000 hydrogen-powered vehicles by 2010
NO on reducing oil usage by 40% by 2025 (instead of 5%)
YES on disallowing an oil-leasing program in Alaska’s ANWR
YES on banning drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
YES on removing consideration of drilling ANWR from budget bill
McCain sponsored suspending the highway fuel tax for the summer -
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to suspend excise taxes on gasoline and diesel fuels between May 26, 2008, and September 1, 2008. Provides for reimbursement from the Treasury to the Highway Trust Fund for any reduction in Trust Fund receipts resulting from such suspension. (Source: S.2890&S.2971 2008-S2890 on Apr 17, 2008)
(Reference: Bill S.517 ; vote number 2002-71 on Apr 18, 2002)
Voted YES on banning drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR)
Would allow gas and oil development in a portion of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge if that production in the area is in the nation’s security and economic interests.
[FYI: The area in ANWR we want to drill is 2,000 acres within 100 million acres. It is TUNDRA! (Definition: Tundra- a level or rolling treeless plain that is characteristic of arctic and subarctic regions, consists of black mucky soil with a permanently frozen subsoil, and has a dominant vegetation of mosses, lichens, herbs, and dwarf shrubs.) There’s nothing there … but oil. It’s critical we end our dependence on foreign oil, people!]
ENFORCING DRUG LAWS – Strongly Favors
$1B for detection equipment for more border interdiction
Stricter penalties; stricter enforcement
Sponsored bill for grants to Indian tribes to fight meth
YES on spending international development funds on drug control
YES on more penalties for gun & drug violations
Of the four major candidates [Republicans], McCain has expressed the most hawkish positions on drug policy. He wants to increase penalties for selling drugs, supports the death penalty for drug kingpins, favors tightening security to stop the flow of drugs into the country, and wants to restrict availability of methadone for heroin addicts. He would push for more money and military assistance to drug-supplying nations such as Colombia. (Source: Boston Globe, p. A21 Mar 5, 2000)
[Mr. Obama wants to give Columbia [no, not the university, the country] the shaft by opposing our free trade agreement. Just thought I’d let ya know.]
ALLOW CHURCHES TO PROVIDE WELFARE SERVICES – Strongly Favors
Anti-poverty shared by gov’t & faith-based orgs
YES on welfare-to-work
YES on welfare overhaul
YES on allowing state welfare waivers
YES on welfare block-grants
Anti-poverty shared by gov’t & faith-based orgs
McCain indicates his support for direct federal poverty aid through religious, community-based or other non-profit organizations. [“Welfare and anti-poverty assistance is a shared responsibility among federal, state and local government; the private sector; community and faith-based organizations. Welfare policy must provide a strong safety net, while promoting work, responsibility, self sufficiency, and dignity.”] (Source: Vote-Smart.org 2000 NPAT Jan 13, 2000)
[MAKE TAXES MORE “PROGRESSIVE”] – Opposes
Mr. McCain’s position is not to raise anyone’s taxes with the state of our present economy.
He proposes a spending freeze across the board.
Rated 72% by NTU, indicating “Satisfactory” on tax votes.
Supports College Tuition Benefits for middle-class families who send their kids to college.
Supports Small-savers’ Credit for low-income individuals who save through an IRA or pension plan.
Voted YES on raising the Death Tax exemption to $5M.
Voted YES on permanently repealing the `death tax`.
Voted YES on supporting permanence of estate tax cuts.
Voted YES on repealing the Alternative Minimum Tax.
Voted YES on retaining reduced taxes on capital gains & dividends.
Voted YES on eliminating the ‘marriage penalty’.
Voted YES on requiring super-majority for raising taxes.
Voted NO on increasing tax deductions for college tuition.
SHOCKER! Voted against Bush tax cuts for not reining in spending
Q: You opposed President Bush’s 2001 tax cuts. Now you say you were wrong. How can you convince Republican voters you will push a Democratic Congress hard enough to make those tax cuts permanent?
A: [“I didn’t say that I was wrong. I said that the reason why I opposed those tax cuts was because we didn’t rein in spending. And the fact is the tax cuts have dramatically increased revenues. If we don’t make them permanent, then every business, farm and family in America will have to adjust their budgets to what is in effect a tax increase. In 2001, I proposed massive tax cuts, but I also proposed to rein in spending. Spending is out of control. We didn’t lose the 2006 election because of the war in Iraq; we lost it because we in the Republican Party came to Washington to change government and government changed us. We let spending go out of control. We spent money like a drunken sailor, although I never knew a sailor drunk or sober with the imagination of my colleagues.”] (Source: 2007 Republican Debate in South Carolina May 15, 2007)
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS RIGHTS - Favors
Voted YES on declaring English the official language of the U.S. [Ah, Mr. Obama voted NO?]
YES on deporting 2 million illegal immigrants who’ve committed crimes.
Immigration reform needed for national security
Sponsored comprehensive immigration reform, without amnesty
Voted YES to establish a guest worker program with a path to citizenship for illegal aliens who have worked in the US for 5 years.
YES on building a fence along the Mexican border
Voted YES on allowing illegal aliens to participate in Social Security. [Hello? Is their anybody in there? Just nod if you can hear me. Is there anyone home?—Sorry, couldn’t resist throwin’ in some Pink Floyd. This position is beyond my understanding.]
Q: If the Senate passed your bill, S1433, the McCain-Kennedy Immigration Bill, would you as president sign it?
A: [“Yeah, but it isn’t going to come. The lesson is they want the border secured first. I come from a border state. I know how to fix the borders with walls, with UAVs, with sensors, with cameras, with vehicle barriers.
As president, I will have the border state governors certify those borders are secured. And then we will have a temporary worker program with tamper-proof biometric documents, and any employer who employs someone in any other circumstances will be prosecuted.
That means a lot of people will leave because they’re not going to be able to get a job. Then we have to get rid of two million people who have committed crimes here. We have to round them up and deport them.”] (Source: Meet the Press: 2008 “Meet the Candidates” series Jan 27, 2008)
[Stopped formatting here. Ran outta time.]
[SUPPORT and EXPAND FREE TRADE] – Strongly Agrees
Rated 100% by CATO, indicating a pro-free trade voting record.
Pro-NAFTA, pro-GATT, pro-MFN, pro-Fast Track
McCain supports the following statements regarding free trade:
• Supports NAFTA, including broadening NAFTA to include other countries in the western hemisphere.
• Supports GATT and the WTO.
• Opposes imposing tariffs on products imported from nations that maintain restrictive trade barriers on American products.
• A nation’s human rights record should not affect its “most favored nation” trading status with the US.
• Supports granting the President “fast-track” authority.
Voted YES on free trade agreement with Oman.
Voted YES on implementing CAFTA for Central America free trade.
Voted YES on establishing free trade between US & Singapore.
Voted YES on establishing free trade between the US and Chile.
Voted YES on extending free trade to Andean nations.
Voted YES on granting normal trade relations status to Vietnam.
Voted YES on expanding trade to the third world.
Opposes subsidies
Opposes foreign sales corporations (offshore tax breaks)
For free trade with any country except security risks
China: Keep open trade & diplomacy; but keep eyes open [BOTH EYES!]
Every time US went protectionist, we paid a heavy price
[“I’m a student of history. Every time the United States has become protectionist and listened to the siren song that you’re hearing partially on this stage tonight, we’ve paid a very heavy price. The Smoot-Hawley Tariff Acts in the 1930s were direct contributors to World War II. It sounds like a lot of fun to bash China and others, but free trade has been the engine of our economy. Free trade should be the continuing principle that guides this nation’s economy.”] (Source: 2007 Republican debate in Dearborn, Michigan Oct 9, 2007)
On NAFTA -
McCAIN: [“Sen. Obama said he would unilaterally renegotiate NAFTA. I am a free trader. Let me give you another example of a free trade agreement that Sen. Obama opposes. Right now, goods and products that we send to Colombia, which is our largest agricultural importer of our products, because of previous agreements, their goods and products come into our country for free. So Sen. Obama opposes the Colombia Free Trade Agreement. The same country that’s helping us try to stop the flow of drugs into our country that’s killing young Americans. Free trade with Colombia is something that’s a no-brainer. But maybe you ought to travel down there and visit them and maybe you could understand it a lot better.”] (Source: 2008 third presidential debate against Barack Obama Oct 15, 2008)
[EXPANDING THE ARMED FORCES] - Favors
Rated 0% by SANE, indicating a pro-military voting record.
Voted YES on military pay raise of 4.8%.
Voted YES on reauthorizing the PATRIOT Act.
Supports cleaning up waste in defense acquisitions
Sponsored bill for Iraq budget to be part of the defense budget.
Ran the largest squadron in the US Navy [Yeah, but Obama was a community organizer! Sorry.]
Q: What have you ever run in your career?
A: I’ve run the largest squadron in the US Navy, and I didn’t run it, I led it. [Makes my heart flutter. Sigh.] It was tens of millions of dollars of assets, training brave young Americans to go fight and defend the country. I’ll defend my leadership of 1,000-men and -women organization with the management of anything that anybody else has done.” (Source: FOX News Sunday, 2007 presidential interviews Oct 21, 2007)
Experience has taught me: the US military must not fail
Q: What do you see as the lessons of Iraq?
A: [“I have a record of being involved in national security issues which involve the toughest decisions that any president can make, and that is to send our young men and women into harm’s way.
I had a town hall meeting and a woman stood up and she said, “Senator McCain, I want you to do me the honor of wearing a bracelet with my son’s name on it.” He was 22 years old and he was killed in combat outside of Baghdad. Then she said, “Senator McCain, promise me one thing, that you’ll do everything in your power to make sure that my son’s death was not in vain.” That means that that mission succeeds.
A war that I was in, where we had an Army, that it wasn’t through any fault of their own, but they were defeated. And I know how hard it is for a military to recover from that. And it did and we will win this one and we won’t come home in defeat and dishonor. [YEAH!]
Source: 2008 first presidential debate, Obama vs. McCain Sep 26, 2008
[STRICTER LIMITS ON POLITICAL CAMPAIGN FUNDS] - Strongly Favors
YES on the1997 McCain-Feingold overhaul of campaign finance
Sponsored bill subjecting 527s to political committee rules
YES on banning campaign donations from unions & corporations
YES on banning “soft money” contributions and restricting issue ads
YES on establishing the Senate Office of Public Integrity
Supports Shays-Meehan Campaign Finance Reform
In November of 2007, Senator McCain and Senator Obama promised to take part in the federal campaign finance system. The federal campaign finance system gives each presidential nominee a dollar for every dollar they raise. There’s a catch. The system limits the amount the candidates can spend after their party convention, to 84 million dollars.
Mr. McCain kept his promise, to his detriment. Mr. Obama did not keep his promise, and opted out.
Senator McCain’s campaign does not accept untraceable prepaid credit cards for
campaign contributions. Senator Obama’s campaign does.
[U.S OUT of IRAQ] – Strongly Opposes
General P. says we need to stay.
Costs will be far greater should we fail in Iraq
Timetable for withdrawal is a white flag of surrender
Supports the Bush doctrine of pre-emptive war
Russia: Sanctions until Putin exits Chechnya
IMF’s Russia policies bad, but agency is OK
Staying for 100 years OK, if US casualties are low
The Iraq war was worth the price in blood and treasure
Supported the surge even when some party-members did not
[BTW: The surge worked.]
Willing to be last man standing for US involvement in Iraq
Send in a heavy wave of troops to Iraq to establish order
Support the completion of the US mission in Iraq
NO on redeploying non-essential US troops out of Iraq in 9 months
Timetable for withdrawal is a white flag of surrender -
Q: When Sen. Clinton suggested timetables, you said she was waving the white flag of surrender.
A: [“What Sen. Clinton said was that we would set a timetable, within 60 days, of complete withdrawal from Iraq. To me, that’s surrender.”] (Source: Meet the Press: 2008 “Meet the Candidates” series Jan 27, 2008)
[RIGHTS – 1st AMENDMENT]
McCain co-sponsored a Constitutional Amendment: The Senate voted on a resolution that would recommend a Constitutional Amendment banning flag desecration (not a vote on the Amendment itself). The resolution states:
1. The flag of the US is a unique symbol of national unity…
2. The Bill of Rights should not be amended in a manner that could be interpreted to restrict freedom…
3. Abuse of the flag causes more than pain and distress… and may amount to fighting words…
4. Destruction of the flag of the US can be intended to incite a violent response rather than make a political statement and such conduct is outside the protections afforded by the first amendment to the Constitution.
Mr. McCain voted YES on recommending a Constitutional ban on flag desecration. [Ah, Mr. Obama voted NO?]
Where John McCain Fits on the scale: Based on the positions listed above, Mr. McCain is rated: [Populist-Leaning Conservative], meaning:
• Mr. McCain believes it’s bad for society when the government redistributes wealth. He believes it is not government’s purpose is to decide which programs are good for society, and how much should be spent on each program.
• Mr. McCain believes in personal responsibility for financial matters, and that free-market competition is better for people than central planning by the government.
• Mr. McCain believes that standards of morality & safety should be enforced by government.
• Mr. McCain does not believe in tolerance for different people and lifestyles.
Mr. Obama’s Positions: [All quotes are Mr. Obama’s unless otherwise stated.]
[PRINCIPLES]
Ordinary people found the courage to keep the promise alive -
[“Four years ago, I stood before you and told you my story–of the brief union between a young man from Kenya and a young woman from Kansas who weren’t well-off or well-known, but shared a belief that in America, their son could achieve whatever he put his mind to. It is that promise that has always set this country apart–that through hard work and sacrifice, each of us can pursue our individual dreams but still come together as one American family, to ensure that the next generation can pursue their dreams as well. That’s why I stand here tonight. Because for two hundred and thirty two years, at each moment when that promise was in jeopardy, ordinary men and women–students and soldiers, farmers and teachers, nurses and janitors — found the courage to keep it alive. We meet at one of those defining moments–a moment when our nation is at war, our economy is in turmoil, and the American promise has been threatened once more.”]
Fulfilling America’s promise means individual participation -
[“We must also admit that fulfilling America’s promise will require more than just money. It will require a renewed sense of responsibility from each of us to recover what John F. Kennedy called our “intellectual and moral strength.” Yes, government must lead on energy independence, but each of us must do our part to make our homes and businesses more efficient. Yes, we must provide more ladders to success for young men who fall into lives of crime and despair. But we must also admit that programs alone can’t replace parents; that government can’t turn off the television and make a child do her homework; that fathers must take more responsibility for providing the love and guidance their children need. Individual responsibility and mutual responsibility — that’s the essence of America’s promise.”]
Don’t know if life beyond Earth; focus on life here on Earth -
[“I don’t know if there is life beyond Earth. I don’t presume to know. What I know is there is life here on Earth, and we’re not attending to life here on Earth. We’re not taking care of kids who are alive and not getting health care. We’re not taking care of senior citizens who are alive and are seeing their heating prices go up. As president, those are the people I will be attending to first.” (Source: 2007 Democratic debate at Drexel University Oct 30, 2007)
[ABORTION] - Strongly Favors
Rated 100% by NARAL on pro-choice votes in 2005, 2006, & 2007.
Rated 0% by the NRLC, indicating a pro-choice stance.
Voted NO on SB 230 - Banning partial birth abortions
Definition: [‘Partial-Birth Abortion’] refers to a late-term abortion method which induces a breech delivery, then [collapsing the fetal skull] before completing delivery. [Sounds like “death-by-blunt-force-trauma-to-the-head” to me.] This procedure is banned in 24 states.
Voted NO three times on the Born Alive Infant Protection Act. This acts provides procedures to save the lives of infants born alive from botched abortions. Mr Obama stated he voted against because he didn’t want the mother to feel badly or “pressured” to keep her child.
Voted YES on state funding for abortions.
Voted YES on minors crossing state lines for abortion.
Voted YES to ban notification to parents of minors who get out-of-state abortions.
Extends “presumption of good faith” to abortion protesters.
Supports Roe v. Wade
[AFFIRMATIVE ACTION] - Strongly Favors
Rated 100% by the NAACP, indicating a pro-affirmative-action stance.
Racial equality good for America as a whole
Will keep the promise of equal pay for an equal day’s work
Fight job discrimination to give women equal footing at jobs
Will include class-based affirmative action with race-based
Q: Is race still the most intractable issue in America?
A: [“Those who worked on civil rights in the past realized that to achieve racial equality was not simply good for African-Americans, but it was good for America as a whole; that we could not be what we might be as a nation unless we healed the brutal wounds of slavery and Jim Crow.
Now, we have made enormous progress, but the progress we have made is not good enough. As many have already mentioned, we live in a society that remains separated in terms of life opportunities for African-Americans, for Latinos, and the rest of the nation. And it is absolutely critical for us to recognize that there are going to be responsibilities on the part of African-Americans and other groups to take personal responsibility to rise up out of the problems that we face.
But there has also got to be [a social responsibility], there has to be [a sense of mutual responsibility], and there’s got to be political will in the White House to make that happen.”] [Ah, Marxism.] (Source: 2007 Democratic Primary Debate at Howard University Jun 28, 2007)
Definition: [Marxism:] the political, economic, and social principles and policies advocated by Marx; especially : a theory and practice of socialism including the labor theory of value, dialectical materialism, the class struggle, and dictatorship of the proletariat until the establishment of a classless society [No rich; no poor. Everyone works together for the greater good, for equality, balance, and fairness]—[“From each according to his abilities; to each according to his needs”] Karl Marx
[BUDGET and ECONOMY]
Voted NO on $40B in reduced federal overall spending.
Voted NO on paying down federal debt by rating programs’ effectiveness. [Amendment intends to pay down the Federal debt and eliminate government waste by reducing spending on programs rated ineffective by the Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART).]
Q: What’s the fastest solution to bail people out of economic ruin?
A: [“It’s not enough just to help those at the top. Prosperity is not just going to trickle down. We’ve got to help the middle class. [How, exactly?] Part of the problem is that for many of you, wages and incomes have flat-lined. For many of you, it is getting harder and harder to save, harder and harder to retire. Sen. McCain is right that we’ve got to stabilize housing prices. But underlying that is loss of jobs and loss of income. [How will you fix that, exactly?] That’s something that the next treasury secretary is going to have to work on.”] [Oh, okay. So who’s gonna be the next Secretary of the Treasury? I’ll ask her….]
Q: What’s your plan to save people from financial ruin?
A: [“This is a verdict on the failed policies of the last eight years that said that we should strip away consumer protections, let the market run wild, and prosperity would rain down. Step one is a rescue package that means making sure taxpayers get their money back. [How, exactly?] The middle-class needs a rescue package. [What, exactly?] That means tax cuts for the middle-class. [Where do they come from, exactly?] It means help for homeowners. [Help them how, exactly?] It means we are helping state governments set up projects that keep people in their jobs. [So. you’re saying the federal government will interfere with the rights of the states?] We’ve got to fix our health care system, [How, exactly?] we’ve got to fix our energy system. [How, exactly?] You’ve got to have somebody in Washington who is thinking about the middle class and not just those who can afford to hire lobbyists. [Ah, your campaign raised more money than any other two candidates’ combined.]
Q: Which parts of the $700B bailout will help people?
A: [“Let me tell you what’s in the rescue package for you. [Great, now you’ll tell us!] Right now, the credit markets are frozen up and what that means is that small businesses can’t get loans. If they can’t get a loan, that means that they can’t make payroll. If they can’t make payroll, then they may end up having to shut their doors and lay people off. And if you imagine just one company trying to deal with that, now imagine a million companies all across the country. So it could end up having an adverse effect on everybody, and that’s why we had to take action. [Ah, what action, exactly?] But we shouldn’t have been there in the first place. [You never answered the question, sir.] (Source: 2008 second presidential debate against Barack Obama Oct 7, 2008)
[Sorry, guys, but none of his answers answer the question: HOW?]
[The nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget has found that both Obama and McCain are proposing combinations of tax and spending policies that would increase the federal deficit. It found that in 2013, Obama’s proposals would produce a net deficit increase of 286 billion dollars, while McCain’s major policies would produce a net deficit increase of 211 billion dollars.] [Wanna save 75 billion dollars? Vote for McCain.]
[FORIEGN POLICY]
Palestine Supports Mr. Obama, Hamas Supports Mr. Obama, Al Quieda Supports Mr. Obama
Israel Supports Mr. McCain
Will meet with Cuban leaders - only with agenda of US interests. [Yeah. Cuba really cares about our interests. Sorry.]
Will loosen restrictions on Cuba now; go for normalization later. [When, exactly? Is that kinda like depositing 100 million dollars of possibly illegal Internet campaign donations, and checking them out later … say, after the election? Sorry.]
Ok to postpone Pakistani elections, but not indefinitely. [When, exactly?]
No preconditions required for talks with rogue states -
[“We are going to have to engage in tough direct diplomacy with Iran and this is a major difference I have with Sen. McCain, this notion by not talking to people we are punishing them has not worked.”]
[GAY RIGHTS] - Favors
Rated 89% by the HRC, indicating a pro-gay-rights stance.
Voted NO on constitutional ban of same-sex marriage.
Gays should not face discrimination, but should not marry
Decisions about marriage should be left to the states
Opposes gay marriage; supports civil union & gay equality
[”I don’t think homosexuals are immoral any more than I think heterosexuals are immoral.”]
[TEACHER-LED PRAYER IN SCHOOLS] - Opposes
Rated 100% by the AU, indicating support of church-state separation
Religious concerns ok, if translated into “universal” values -
[“Progressives might recognize the values that both religious & secular people share when it comes to the moral & material direction of our country. We might recognize that the call to [sacrifice on behalf of the next generation], the need to [think in terms of “thou” and not just “I”], resonates in religious congregations across the country.
Secularists are wrong when they ask believers to leave their religion at the door before entering the public square. To say that men and women should not inject their personal morality into public policy debates is a practical absurdity; our law is by definition a codification of morality, much of it grounded in the Judeo-Christian tradition.
What our [pluralistic democracy] does demand is that the religiously motivated translate their concerns into [universa]l, rather than religion-specific, values. Those opposed to abortion cannot simply invoke God’s will–they have to explain why abortion violates some principle that is accessible to people of all faiths.”] (Source: The Audacity of Hope, by Barack Obama, p.216-219 Oct 1, 2006)
Listening to evangelicals bridges major political fault line –
[“Today, white evangelical Christians are the heart and soul of the Republican Party’s grassroots base. It is their issues-abortion, gay marriage, prayer in schools, intelligent design, Terri Schiavo, the posting of the Ten Commandments in the courthouse, home schooling, voucher plans, and the makeup of the Supreme Court-that often dominate the headlines and serve as one of the major fault lines in American politics. The single biggest gap in party affiliation is between those who attend church regularly and those who don’t. Democrats, meanwhile, are scrambling to “get religion,” even as a core
segment of our constituency remains stubbornly secular, and fears that the agenda of an assertively Christian nation may not make room for them or their life choices.”]
[DEATH PENALTY] - Opposes
Missed a “soft on crime” stance from the NCJA by one point.
Battles legislatively against the death penalty
Supports alternative sentencing and rehabilitation
Death penalty should not discriminate by gang membership
[MANDATORY THREE STRIKES SENTENCING LAWS] - Opposes
Restrict police entry rules to protect our civil liberties
Obama co-sponsored increasing funding for “COPS ON THE BEAT” program
Reduce recidivism by giving offenders a Second Chance.
Obama voted against a proposal to criminalize contact with a gang for any convicts on probation or out on bail. In 2001, Obama opposed making gang activity eligible for the death penalty.
[”There’s a strong overlap between gang affiliation and young men of color…. I think it’s problematic for them to be singled out as more likely to receive the death penalty for carrying out certain acts than are others who do the same thing.”]
In 1999, Mr. Obama opposed mandatory adult prosecution for youth who discharged a firearm near a school.
[”There is really no proof or indication that automatic transfers and increased penalties and adult penalties for juvenile offenses have, in fact, proven to be more effective in reducing juvenile crime or cutting back on recidivism.”]
[ABSOLUTE RIGHT TO GUN OWNERSHIP] - Opposes [Say it ain’t so, O!]
Respect 2nd Amendment, but local gun bans ok
Ban semi-automatics
More possession restrictions
YES on lawsuits against gun manufacturers
Statement:
[“I’ve never said I wanted to ban all handguns.”]
[FactCheck:]
A Chicago nonprofit, Independent Voters of Illinois, had this question:
Q: Do you support state legislation to ban the manufacture, sale, and possession of handguns?
A: [“Yes.”] (Source: FactCheck.org analysis of 2008 Philadelphia primary debate Apr 16, 2008)
[MORE FEDERAL FUNDING FOR HEALTH CARE COVERAGE] - Strongly Favors
Mr. Obama would like universal healthcare run by the federal government, similar to the system in Canada.
National Health Insurance Exchange for private coverage
National insurance pool & catastrophic insurance
NO on means-testing to determine Medicare Part D premium
YES on increasing Medicaid rebate for producing generics
YES on negotiating bulk purchases for Medicare prescription drug
YES on expanding enrollment period for Medicare Part D
YES on requiring negotiated Rx prices for Medicare part D
The market alone can’t solve our health-care woes -
[“Employers are going to have to pay or play. I think that employers either have to provide health care coverage for their employees, or they’ve got to make a decision that they’re going to help pay for those who don’t have coverage outside the employer system.”] [Ah, Socialism.] (Source: SEIU Democratic Health Care Forum in Las Vegas Mar 24, 2007)
Definition: [Socialism:] any of various economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods. [Taking from one group of people and giving to another as a means of spreading wealth in the spirit of fairness.]
[PRIVATIZE SOCIAL SECURITY] - Strongly Opposes
Stop any efforts to privatize Social Security
Voted NO on establishing reserve funds & pre-funding for Social Security.
No privatization; but consider earning cap over $97,500
[PARENTS CHOOSE SCHOOLS VIA VOUCHERS] - Neutral
Guarantee affordable life-long, top-notch education
Vouchers don’t solve the problems of our schools
Supports charter schools; it’s important to experiment
Supports private investment in schools
YES on $5B for grants to local educational agencies
“I try to avoid an either/or approach to solving the problems of this country. There are questions of individual responsibility and questions of societal responsibility to be dealt with. The best example is an education. I’m going to insist that we’ve got decent funding, enough teachers, and computers in the classroom, but unless you turn off the television set and get over a certain anti-intellectualism that I think pervades some low-income communities, our children are not going to achieve. [We’ve thrown millions of dollars into the public school system. Is it any better? “Competition breeds greatness”…Me] (Source: Meet The Press, NBC News Jul 25, 2004)
[REPLACE COAL AND OIL WITH ALTERNATIVES] - Strongly Favors
Set goal of 25% renewable energy by 2025
Let states define stricter-than-federal emission standards
YES on reducing oil usage by 40% by 2025 (instead of 5%)
YES on disallowing an oil leasing program in Alaska’s ANWR
YES on banning drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
YES on factoring global warming into federal project planning
YES on removing oil & gas exploration subsidies
Voted YES on banning drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).
Vote to adopt an amendment that would strike a provision in the concurrent resolution that recognizes revenue from oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The amendment says: “To ensure that legislation that would open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, other federal lands, and the Outer Continental Shelf to oil drilling receives full consideration and debate in the Senate under regular order, rather than being fast-tracked under reconciliation procedures; to ensure that receipts from such drilling destined for the federal treasury are fairly shared with local jurisdictions; and does not occur unless prohibitions against the export of Alaskan oil are enacted.”
[FYI: The area in ANWR we want to drill in is 2,000 acres within 100 million acres. It is TUNDRA! (Definition: Tundra- a level or rolling treeless plain that is characteristic of arctic and subarctic regions, consists of black mucky soil with a permanently frozen subsoil, and has a dominant vegetation of mosses, lichens, herbs, and dwarf shrubs.) There’s nothing there … but oil. It’s critical we end our dependence on foreign oil, people!] (Reference: Arctic National Wildlife Refuge anti-drilling Amendment; Bill S AMDT 168 to S.Con.Res. 18 ; vote number 2005-52 on Mar 16, 2005)
[ENFORCING DRUG LAWS] - Opposes
Look at needle exchange and expand treatment
End harsher sentencing for crack vs. powder cocaine
Require chemical resellers to certify against meth use
Experimented with cocaine, but turned down heroin [Me too.]
Smokes cigarettes now; smoked some pot in high school [He’s got me there. I used to smoke cigarettes, but I have better judgment now. Sorry.]
Should deal with street-level drug dealing as a “minimum-wage affair.”
In 2001, Obama questioned the harsh penalties for drug dealing, noting that selling 15 tablets of Ecstasy was the same class of felony as raping a woman at knifepoint. [So, we need to RAISE the penalty for rapists, not reduce the penalty for drug dealers. Yes?](Source: The Improbable Quest, by John K. Wilson, p.146-147 Oct 30, 2007)
[ALLOW CHURCHES TO PROVIDE WELFARE SERVICES] - Favors
Cut poverty in half in 10 years, with faith-based help
Engages people of faith on all aspects of his public service
Reach out to faith community;faith has role in public square
“I was drawn to the power of the African American religious tradition to spur social change. Out of necessity, the black church had to minister to the whole person. Out of necessity, the black church rarely had the luxury of separating individual salvation from collective salvation. [Huh?] It had to serve as the center of the community’s political, economic, and social as well as spiritual life; it understood in an intimate way the biblical call to feed the hungry and clothe the naked and challenge powers and principalities.
I was able to see faith as more than just a comfort to the weary; rather, it was an active, palpable agent in the world. [Reverend Jeremiah Wright was Mr. Obama’s pastor for 20 years. I listened to an audio last night from one of Rev. Wright’s sermons: [“God bless America? God bless America? No. God damn America! God damn America!”[ – Sorry if that offends you; it offends me too. Question is, why didn’t it offend Mr. Obama?]
(Source: The Audacity of Hope, by Barack Obama, p.206-7 Oct 1, 2006)
[MAKE TAXES MORE “PROGRESSIVE”] - Strongly Favors
Mr. Obama’s Plan:
If you make under 250k, you will not have your taxes raised. If you make under 200k, you will get a tax cut. [Since 40% of the people in this category don’t pay Federal Income Tax, but would still get a credit, it is an entitlement progam. [WELFARE.]
If you make more than 250k, your taxes will go up, and the revenue distributed to those who make less than you do, in the interest of fairness, because they need the money more than you do. [Ah, Socialiam.]
Rated 100% by the CTJ, indicating support of progressive taxation
Tax cut for 95% of all working families [Neat trick, since 40% of them don’t pay taxes, which makes the giveaway welfare.]
Will raise CEO taxes
Tax cuts for the rich do not create jobs
NO on raising the Death Tax exemption to $5M from $1M:
YES on increasing tax rate for people earning over $1 million
NO on allowing AMT reduction without budget offset
NO on extending the tax cuts on capital gains and dividends
YES on $47B for military by repealing capital gains tax cut:
NO on retaining reduced taxes on capital gains & dividends
NO on permanently repealing the `death tax`
NO on supporting permanence of estate tax cuts
NO on raising estate tax exemption to $5 million
NO on repealing the Alternative Minimum Tax
Raise capital gains tax for fairness, not for revenue
Q: You favor an increase in the capital gains tax, saying, [”I certainly would not go above what existed under Bill Clinton, which was 28%.”] It’s now 15%. That’s almost a doubling if you went to 28%. Bill Clinton dropped the capital gains tax to 20%, then George Bush has taken it down to 15%. And in each instance, when the rate dropped, revenues from the tax increased. And in the 1980s, when the tax was increased to 28%, the revenues went down.
A: [“What I’ve said is that I would look at raising the capital gains tax [for purposes of fairness].” [Ah, Socialism.]
Q: But history shows that when you drop the capital gains tax, the revenues go up.
A: [“Well, that might happen or it might not.”] [What about “history shows…”]
(Source: 2008 Philadelphia primary debate, on eve of PA primary Apr 16, 2008)
[“Everywhere you go, you meet people who are working harder for less, wages and incomes have flatlined, people are seeing escalating costs of everything from health care to gas at the pump. In some communities, they have been struggling for decades now. This has to be a priority of the next president. We have to [restore a sense of fairness & balance] to our economy. [Ah, Socialism AND Marxism.]
Restore progressive tax; close loopholes; relief to seniors
[“There has to be a [restoration of balance] in our tax code. We are going to offset some of the payroll taxes that families who are making less than $50,000 a year get a larger break. I want to make sure that seniors making less than $50,000, that they get some relief in terms of the taxes on their Social Security. Those kinds of progressive tax steps, while closing loopholes and rolling back the Bush tax cuts to the top 1 percent, simply [restores some fairness and a sense that we’re all in this together.”] [Ah, Marxism.] (Source: 2007 Democratic debate at Drexel University Oct 30, 2007)
Reduce Bush tax cuts to pay for health care & other programs
Q: Do you agree that the rich aren’t paying their fair share of taxes?
A: [“There’s no doubt that the tax system has been skewed. And the Bush tax cuts–people didn’t need them, and they weren’t even asking for them, and that’s why they need to be less, so that we can pay for universal health care and other initiatives.
But I think this goes to a broader question, and that is, are we willing to make the investments in [genuine equal opportunity][Ah, Socialism.] in this country? People aren’t looking for charity. We talk about welfare and we talk about poverty, but [what people really want is fairness.] They want people paying their fair share of taxes. [They want that money allocated fairly.] [Ah, Socialism…] [Let’s look at the fairness of our present system: The bottom 40% pay no taxes - 0% (but would still get a tax refund under Mr. Obama’s plan), the bottom 50% pay 2.9%, the top 50% pay 97.1%, the top 10% pay 70% of the taxes. Of every country in the world, our most productive and inventive Americans pay the highest percentage of taxes. More than the Swedish, English, Canadians, Germans, French, etc. To me, Mr. Obama’s message seems to be: “Don’t succeed. If ya do, you’re gonna pay for it.”]
(Source: 2007 Democratic Primary Debate at Howard University Jun 28, 2007)
[ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS RIGHTS] - Strongly Favors
[I have to say I truly believe Mr. Obama had no idea his aunt has been living here illegally for four years. If he’d have known, he woulda tried to help her. Really.]
Give immigrants who are here a rigorous path to citizenship
[“We want to have a situation in which those who are already here, are playing by the rules, are willing to pay a fine and go through a rigorous process should have a pathway to legalization. Most Americans will support that if they have some sense that the border is also being secured. [How will you secure the border?] What they don’t want is a situation in which there is a pathway to legalization and you’ve got another several hundred thousand of folks coming in every year. That is a central position we should be able to arrive at.
(Source: 2007 Dem. debate at Saint Anselm College Jun 3, 2007)
Voted YES on establishing a Guest Worker program.
Voting YES establishes a guest worker program with a path to citizenship for illegal aliens who have worked in the US for 5 years. (Reference: Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act; Bill S. 2611 ; vote number 2006-157 on May 25, 2006)
Voted YES on allowing illegal aliens to participate in Social Security. [And again I say, are you guys nuts?]
Supports granting driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants
Q: In the absence of comprehensive immigration reform, do you support driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants?
A: [“Yes. I am going to be fighting for comprehensive immigration reform, and we shouldn’t pose the question that, somehow, we can’t achieve that. The American people desperately want it; that’s what I’m going to be fighting for as president.”][I don’t desperately want it.] (Source: 2007 Democratic debate in Las Vegas, Nevada Nov 15, 2007)
Illegal immigrants’ lack of ID is a public safety concern
[“There is a public safety concern [with denying driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants]. We can make sure that drivers who are illegal come out of the shadows, that they can be tracked, that they are properly trained, and that will make our roads safer. That doesn’t negate the need for us to reform illegal immigration.”] (Source: 2007 Democratic debate at Drexel University Oct 30, 2007)
Don’t deputize Americans to turn in illegal immigrants.
Q: Would you expect Americans to turn in illegal immigrants when they come across them?
A: [“We do not deputize the American people to do the job that the federal government is supposed to do. So as president, I will make sure that the federal government does what it’s supposed to do, which is to do a better job of closing our borders, have much tougher enforcement standards when it comes to employers, and create a pathway of citizenship for the 12 million people who are already here.”] (Source: 2007 Democratic radio debate on NPR Dec 4, 2007)
Deporting 12 million people is ridiculous and impractical
[“The American people want fairness][I don’t like Mr. Obama’s interpretation of “fairness.”], want justice. They recognize that the idea that you’re going to deport 12 million people is ridiculous, that we’re not going to be devoting all our law enforcement resources to sending people back.
But what they do also want is some order to the process. [How does he know what we all want or feel. He’s not in our POV.] We’re not going to be able to do these things in isolation. We’re not going to be able to deal with the 12 million people who are living in the shadows and give them a way of getting out of the shadows if we don’t also deal with the problem of this constant influx of undocumented workers.
That’s why comprehensive reform is so important. Something that we can do immediately that is very important is to pass the Dream Act, which allows children who through no fault of their own are here but have essentially grown up as Americans, allow them the opportunity for higher education. [“I do not want two classes of citizens in this country. I want everybody to prosper.”] [Ah, Marxism.] That’s going to be a top priority. (Source: 2008 Democratic debate at University of Texas in Austin Feb 21, 2008)
[SUPPORT and EXPAND FREE TRADE] - Opposes
NO on implementing CAFTA for Central America free-trade
YES on free trade agreement with Oman
Fair trade should have tangible benefits for US
Amend NAFTA to add labor agreements
On Colombia Trade Deal -
Mr. Obama promised to stand firm in his opposition to the Colombia Free Trade Agreement.
Barack Obama’s campaign has come out in full force against free trade. In addition to saying he would unilaterally renegotiate NAFTA (much to the chagrin of Canada and Mexico), during the third presidential debate, Obama voiced opposition to the Colombian Free Trade Agreement under the guise of “human rights.”
Mr. Obama’s policy would snub the U.S.’s most staunch ally in the region.
For the United States, the economic and political costs of reneging on trade agreements and renegotiating existing agreements are colossal. To shortchange Colombia would be to give credence to the antagonists in Latin America who assert that America can’t be trusted, and would be a golden opportunity lost for increased investment and prosperity.
[EXPANDING THE ARMED FORCES] - Favors
Grow size of military to maintain rotation schedules
Give our soldiers the best equipment and training available
Sponsored bill for Iraq budget to be part of defense budget
Improve mental health care benefits for returning veterans
YES on limiting soldiers’ deployment to 12 months
[I listened to audio last night where Mr. Obama said we need a “Citizen’s Militia” that’s as strong as our Armed Forces. I’m not kidding, people. I heard him say it, and it’s on tape. Think about it. It’s scary.]
[STRICTER LIMITS ON POLITICAL CAMPAIGN FUNDS] - Strongly Favors
[I dispute the truth of his stated position and have included info from former postings that refutes it. You decide.]
Reduced cost of TV ads for candidates
Mr. Obama proposed an $85M presidential limit on general election spending [Ah, how much did those 30-minute infomercials cost, sir? Mr. Obama has outspent every candidate in history.]
So far, John McCain has been the only Republican to agree to Obama’s proposal to limit general election spending to $85 million. [Wow, what a shock.]
The federal campaign finance system gives each presidential nominee a dollar for every dollar they raise. There’s a catch. The system limits the amount the candidates can spend after their party convention to 84 million dollars.
In November of 2007, Mr. Obama